Miscellaneous

Teeing Off

Play begins on each hole with the player throwing from within the teeing area. When the disc is released, the player must have at least one supporting point in contact with the surface of the teeing area, and all supporting points must be in contact only with the surface of the teeing area. Supporting point contact outside the teeing area is allowed if it comes before or after, and not at, the moment the disc is released.

Any supporting point contact outside the teeing area at the time of release constitutes a stance violation and shall be handled in accordance with section 802.04 E and F.

Establishing Position

The thrown disc establishes a position where it first comes to rest.

A disc is considered to be at rest once it is no longer moving as a result of the momentum imparted by the throw. A disc in water or foliage is considered to be at rest once it is moving only as a result of movement of the water, the foliage, or the wind.

If the disc first comes to rest above or below the playing surface, its position is on the playing surface directly below or above the disc.

If the thrown disc breaks into pieces, the largest piece is deemed to be the thrown disc.

If the thrown disc has moved after it first came to rest on the in-bounds playing surface, it shall be replaced to its approximate position. If it first came to rest elsewhere, the disc need not be replaced, and any determinations are made relative to where it first came to rest.

Marking The Lie

The position of a thrown disc on the in-bounds playing surface marks its lie.

Alternatively, a mini marker disc may be used to mark the lie by placing it on the playing surface, touching the front of the thrown disc on the line of play.

A player is required to mark the lie with a mini marker disc in the following situations:

If the position of the thrown disc is in-bounds but within one meter of an out-of-bounds line, the lie may be marked by placing a mini marker disc on the playing surface at any point on a one-meter line that extends perpendicularly from the nearest point on the out-of-bounds line and passes through the center of the thrown disc, even if the direction takes the lie closer to the target. For the purpose of marking the lie, the out-of-bounds line represents a vertical plane.

If a large solid obstacle prevents the player from taking a legal stance behind the marker disc, the player may instead mark the lie by placing a mini marker disc on the playing surface immediately behind that obstacle on the line of play.

A marker disc that is moved prior to the ensuing throw shall be replaced to its original position to mark the approximate lie.

A player shall receive a warning for the first violation of a marking rule. One penalty throw shall be assessed for each subsequent violation of any marking rule during the round.

Throwing from a Stance

A player must choose the stance that will result in the least movement of any part of any obstacle that is a permanent or integral part of the course. Once a legal stance is taken, the player may not move an obstacle in any way in order to make room for a throwing motion. It is legal for a player's throwing motion to cause incidental movement of an obstacle.

When the disc is released, a player must:

Have at least one supporting point that is in contact with the lie; and,

Have no supporting point in contact with the marker disc or any object (including the playing surface) closer to the target than the rear edge of the marker disc; and,

Have all supporting points in-bounds.

Supporting point contact with or beyond the marker disc is permitted after the disc is released, except when putting.

Putting: Any throw from within 10 meters of the target, as measured from the rear of the marker disc to the base of the target, is a putt. Supporting point contact closer to the target than the rear edge of the marker disc after the disc has been released is a stance violation. The player must demonstrate full control of balance before advancing toward the target.

A player shall receive a warning for the first stance violation in the round. Subsequent stance violations in the same round shall incur a one-throw penalty. Stance violations may not be called or seconded by the thrower.

Any throw made from an illegal stance is disregarded. A re-throw must be taken from the original lie, prior to subsequent play by others in the group.

Holing Out

Basket Targets: In order to hole out, the thrower must release the disc and it must come to rest supported by the chains and/or the inner cylinder (bottom and inside wall) of the tray. It may be additionally supported by the pole. A disc that enters the target below the top of the tray or above the bottom of the chain support is not holed out.

Object Targets: In order to hole out, the thrower must release the disc and it must strike the marked target area on the object as specified by the Director.

Obstacles And Relief

Obstacles to a Stance or Throwing Motion: With the exception of casual obstacles to a stance as described below, a player is not allowed to move any obstacle on the course. No relief is granted from park equipment (such as signs, trash cans, or picnic tables), which is considered to be part of the course. A player is allowed to request that other people remove themselves and/or their belongings from the player's stance or line of play.

Casual Obstacles to a Stance: A player may obtain relief only from the following obstacles that are on or behind the lie: casual water, loose leaves or debris, broken branches no longer connected to a tree, motor vehicles, harmful insects or animals, players' equipment, people, or any item or area specifically designated by the Director before the round. To obtain relief, the player must remove the obstacle if it is practical to do so. If it is impractical to move the obstacle, the player's lie may be relocated to the nearest lie which is no closer to the target, is on the line of play, and is not more than five meters from the original lie (unless greater casual relief is announced by the Director).

Course equipment may always be restored to its proper working order, including the clearing of obstacles.

A player shall receive one penalty throw, without a warning, for violation of an obstacle or relief rule.

A player who purposely damages any part of the course shall receive two penalty throws, without a warning. The player may also be disqualified from the tournament, in accordance with Section 3.3 of the Competition Manual.

Optional Relief. A player may elect at any time to take optional relief. The lie may then be relocated to a new lie which is no closer to the target, and is on the line of play. One penalty throw shall be added to the player's score.

Optional Re-throw. A player may elect at any time to re-throw from the previous lie. The original throw plus one penalty throw shall be counted in the player's score.

Misplay

It is the responsibility of the player to play the course correctly. Before play begins, players shall attend the players' meeting and learn about any special conditions that may exist on the course, including extra holes, alternate teeing areas, alternate hole placements, out-of-bounds areas, mandatories, and drop zones.

A misplay has occurred if the player has failed to complete every hole on the course correctly and in the proper order, or has played from an incorrect lie for any throw.

In instances where the misplay rules affect players within a group differently, the group shall remain together while a hole is being completed by some of the group in order to verify scoring and rules compliance.

In instances where a misplay is discovered after the player has turned in the scorecard, the misplay shall not be replayed and the player shall receive a two-throw penalty for the misplay.

A misplay is not a stance violation, nor is it a practice throw.

A player who deliberately misplays the course to gain competitive advantage shall be penalized in accordance with Section 3.3 of the Competition Manual.

Types of misplay:

Incorrect Lie. The player has:

If no subsequent throws have been made after the misplayed throw, the player shall continue play from the correct lie and be assessed a one-throw penalty for the misplay. If an additional throw or throws have been made after the misplayed throw, the player shall complete the hole being played and be assessed a two-throw penalty for the misplay.

Teed off from a teeing area that is not the correct teeing area for the current hole; or,

Thrown from a lie established by a disc other than the thrown disc; or,

Played an out-of-bounds disc as if it were in-bounds; or,

Thrown from a lie established by a previous throw which passed a mandatory on the wrong side.

Wrong Target. The player has holed out on a target that is not the target for the hole being played. If no subsequent throw has been made, play continues from the resulting lie. If the target is a basket target, the disc is above the playing surface, and play proceeds according to 802.02.C. If the player has teed off on the next hole, a two-throw penalty shall be added to the score for the misplayed hole.

Failure To Hole Out. The player has teed off on a hole without having holed out on the previous hole. The score for the misplayed hole shall be the number of throws made, plus one for holing out, plus two penalty throws for the misplay. The player must not actually hole out on the previous hole. Intentionally failing to hole out constitutes withdrawal from competition.

Non-Sequential Play. The player has completed play on a hole in the wrong order. The player shall proceed to play the course in its proper order. Regardless of the number of holes skipped or played in the wrong order during the round, a total of two penalty throws shall be added to the player's total score for the misplay. The score earned from any completed hole shall stand, and any completed hole shall not be replayed.

Missed Hole Due To Late Arrival. The player has failed to play a hole due to late arrival. The player receives a score of par plus four for the hole. See Section 1.5 B of the Competition Manual.

Omitted Hole. The round has been completed, and the player has neglected to play a hole. The hole is scored the same as a hole missed due to late arrival.

Incorrect Hole. The player has completed play on a hole that is not part of the course for that round, in place of a hole that is part of the course for the round. The hole shall stand as played, and two penalty throws shall be added to the player's total score.

Extra Hole. The player has completed play on a hole that is not part of the course for that round. Two penalty throws shall be added to the player's total score. Throws made on the extra hole are not counted.

Excessive Time

A maximum of 30 seconds is allowed to each player to make a throw after:

The previous player has thrown; and,

The player has had a reasonable amount of time to arrive at the disc; and,

The playing area is clear and free of distractions.

A player shall receive a warning for the first excessive time violation. The player shall be assessed one penalty throw for each subsequent excessive time violation in the same round.

Mandatories

A mandatory restricts the path the disc may take to the target. A disc must pass the correct side of the mandatory before the hole is completed. A disc has passed the mandatory once it establishes a position beyond the mandatory line.

The mandatory line is the line marked by the director or course designer to indicate when a disc has passed or missed the mandatory.

If no line has been marked, the mandatory line is defined as a straight line through the mandatory, perpendicular to the line connecting the mandatory to the previous mandatory, or if there is no previous mandatory, the tee.

In the case of a double mandatory when no line has been marked, the mandatory line is the straight line connecting the two mandatories, and extends beyond them in both directions.

A throw has missed the mandatory if it passes the incorrect side of the mandatory from the direction of the tee, and establishes a position completely beyond the mandatory line.

A throw that has missed the mandatory results in a one-throw penalty. The next throw shall be made from the drop zone, as designated for that mandatory.

If no drop zone has been designated, the player shall play from the previous lie.

If, after a mandatory has been passed, a subsequent throw crosses the mandatory line on the correct side but in the reverse direction, the mandatory has no longer been passed. The player must still pass the mandatory on the correct side. A line connecting the lies for the hole must pass to the correct sides of all mandatories for the hole.

The nearest mandatory which has not yet been passed is considered to be the target for all rules related to marking the lie, stance, obstacles, and relief, if the line of play does not pass to the correct side of that mandatory.

Interference

A thrown disc that strikes a person or animal is played where it first comes to rest.

A thrown disc that is intentionally deflected or was caught and moved shall be given an approximate position at the point of contact.

A thrown disc at rest that has been moved shall be replaced to its approximate position (see 802.02.E). A marker disc at rest that has been moved shall be replaced to mark the approximate lie (see802.03.F).

A player who intentionally interferes with another player's disc in any of the following ways shall receive two penalty throws:

Altering the course of a thrown disc (other than to prevent injury); or,

Moving a thrown disc or mini marker disc (other than in the process of identification, retrieval, or marking); or,

Obscuring a thrown disc or mini marker disc.

A player whose thrown disc was intentionally interfered with by another player as described in 804.03.D.1 has the option of a re-throw.

Players shall not stand or leave their equipment where interference with a disc in play may occur. A player may require other players to move themselves or their equipment if either could interfere with the throw. Refusal to do so is a courtesy violation.

Altering the course of a thrown disc with the consent of the thrower in order to prevent the disc from becoming lost is not punishable interference. Any disc whose course is altered for that reason is considered to be a lost disc.

Out-of-Bounds

A disc is out-of-bounds if its position is clearly and completely surrounded by an out-of-bounds area. See 802.02.B for determining when a disc in water or foliage has come to rest.

The out-of-bounds line is part of the out-of-bounds area.

A disc that cannot be found is considered to be out-of bounds if there is reasonable evidence that the disc came to rest within an out-of-bounds area. In the absence of such evidence, the disc is considered lost and play proceeds according to rule 804.05.

A player whose disc is out-of-bounds shall receive one penalty throw. The player may elect to play the next throw from:

Those options may be limited by the Director as a special condition only by prior approval of the PDGA Tour Manager.

The previous lie; or,

A lie that is up to one meter away from and perpendicular to the point where the disc last crossed into out-of-bounds, even if the direction takes the lie closer to the target; or,

Within the designated drop zone, if provided.

The out-of-bounds line represents a vertical plane. Where a player's lie is marked from a particular point within one meter of the out-of-bounds line, the one-meter relief may be taken from a point upward or downward along the vertical plane.

If the thrower moves the disc before a determination regarding its out-of-bounds status has been made, the disc shall be considered out-of-bounds.

Lost Disc

A disc shall be declared lost if the player cannot locate it within three minutes after arriving at the spot where it was last seen. Any player in the group or an official may begin the timing of the three minutes, and must inform the group that the timing has begun. All players in the group must assist in searching for the disc. The disc shall be declared lost upon expiration of the three minutes.

A player whose disc is declared lost shall receive one penalty throw. The next throw shall be made from the previous lie.

The Director may designate a drop zone for lost discs on a particular hole. If a drop zone is provided, the player may throw from there instead of from the previous lie. In all cases the original throw plus one penalty throw shall be counted in the player's score.

If it is discovered, prior to the completion of the tournament, that a player's disc that was declared lost had been removed or taken, then the player shall have two throws removed from the score for that hole.

A marker disc that is lost shall be replaced to mark the approximate lie with no penalty.

Provisional Throws

Provisional throws are extra throws that are not added to a player's score if they are not ultimately used in the completion of the hole. The use of provisional throws is encouraged in all situations where there is a question regarding a player's lie and a provisional throw would expedite play, or when the thrower questions a ruling. The unused throws are not to be added to the thrower's score nor treated as practice throws as long as the player announces that such additional throws are provisional throws prior to making them.

Provisional throws are appropriate in the following circumstances:

To save time. A player may declare a provisional throw any time:

The status of a disc cannot readily be determined; and,

The majority of the group agrees that playing a provisional throw may save time; and,

The original throw may be out-of-bounds, may be lost, or may have missed a mandatory.

The thrower shall complete the hole from whichever of the two throws is deemed by the group or an official to have resulted in the correct lie

To appeal the group's or an official's ruling. A set of provisional throws may be taken to complete a hole as part of an appeal when the player disagrees with the group decision and an official is not readily available, or if the player wishes to appeal the decision of an official. The scores from both sets of throws shall be recorded. The proper ruling and score are then determined by the Director at the end of the round.

A provisional throw may not be subsequently declared to be an optional re-throw.